The present invention relates to a method of producing from sheet material a composite object comprising the steps: that a first sheet material is fed stepwise in a first feeding direction of a first feeding length through a tool from a first infeed section to a discharge section, the first sheet material being, at least between certain feeding steps, processed by shearing, punching, pressing, bending, etc.
The present invention also relates to a tool for producing from sheet material a composite object and comprises: a first material path, extending through the tool and along which a first sheet material is stepwise feedable, of a first feeding length, the first material path displaying a number of processing stations for processing the first sheet material by shearing, punching, pressing, bending, etc.
In the manufacture of composite objects, i.e. objects which consist of at least two but possibly more component parts, taking as a point of departure sheet material, it has previously been the practice to manufacture, in a first tool, a first component part which is in principle completely finished. Besides, in a second, possibly third or fourth tool, a second or possibly a third or fourth component part has been produced. The thus produced component parts have subsequently been joined together to produce the finished object. As regards this joining together or assembly, various techniques have been employed, for example riveting, screwing, welding, seaming and possibly also gluing.
In the production of the component parts included in the object, these have as a rule been handled in bulk. This implies that the assembly and joining together of the component parts after their production has afforded major problems in automation and machine execution. The problems that in such instance are encountered are the picking of component parts from a bulk stock, their specific orientation, as well as positioning of the oriented component parts. In certain cases, for example when the component parts show a tendency to catch in one another, it has hardly been possible to carry out the above-mentioned orientation and positioning at all.
While, in certain contexts, it has been possible to automate the assembly of the component parts, such automation has required large and expensive machinery. From this it follows that assembly and joining together of the component parts is often carried out manually, and often in cheap labour countries.
In manual assembly, despite the utilisation of a workforce from these cheap labour countries, such costs have often proved to be at a high level because of transport costs, more or less defective precision and resultant poor quality and a high percentage of rejects.
The present invention has for its object to obviate the prior art problems. In particular, the present invention has for its object to design the method intimated by way of introduction such that, in one and the same tool, it is possible to manufacture a composite object up to the completely finished state or at least so far that the component parts included in the composite object are joined together. The present invention further has for its object to design the method such that productivity will be high, precision good and costs low, even in moderately large series. Finally, the present invention has for its object to design the method such that manufacture of the component parts included in the composite object may take place wholly independently of one another right up to the moment when they are assembled.
The present invention further has for its object to design the tool intimated by way of introduction such that this offers the same or analogous qualities compared with the method according to the invention.
The objects forming the basis of the present invention will be attained in respect of the method, if this is characterised in that at least a second sheet material is fed through a second feeding section stepwise into the tool in a second feeding direction, and of a second feeding length, that the second sheet material, at least between certain feeding steps, is processed into wholly or partly finished second component parts of the object by shearing, punching, pressing, bending etc., that the second component parts in the tool are joined together with the first component parts to form the object, wholly or partly finished from the first sheet material, and are caused to leave the tool in the assembled state in the first feeding direction.
Given that the joining together of the two component parts takes place in one and the same tool, both orientation and positioning of the component parts is simple, since these are defined by the tool,
The objects forming the basis of the present invention will be attained in respect of the tool, if this is characterised by at least a second material path along which a second sheet material is stepwise feedable, of a second feeding length, there being disposed along the second material path a number of processing stations for processing the second sheet material by shearing, punching, pressing, bending etc., a station for joining together or assembling wholly or partly finished first component parts produced from the first sheet material with wholly or partly finished second component parts produced from the second sheet material being disposed in a zone of intersection between the first and the second material paths.
By means of these characterising features in respect of the tool, advantages will be afforded which are totally analogous with those advantages that are attained by the design of the